A couple of days from now, Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will come alive with one of the most anticipated fights of the year between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, as they test their mettle against each other for the second time. However, the undercard for the December 21st fight is no joke either, especially the Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis fight.

The former interim WBC super welterweight champion Bohachuk was initially supposed to fight Israil Madrimov on the night—but Madrimov was diagnosed with acute bronchitis and had to pull out of the bout. However, Davis of Leeds, Yorkshire, has since stepped up to the challenge as a last-minute replacement. But the question is, does he stand a chance?

Serhii Bohachuk vs. Ishmael Davis: Tale of the Tape

Both fighters, on paper, are excellent boxers, but comparing their past activity in the ring can shed more light on who is more likely to come out of the fight victorious. First of all, because Davis came into the picture at the very last minute, he already is at a disadvantage—lack of training, preparation, and whatnot—so keep that in the back of your mind. 

Anyway, Bohachuk (24-2-0, 23 KOs) made his professional debut back in February 2017 against Matt Murphy, winning the fight via 2nd-round knockout. He kept knocking out his opponents for the next seventeen fights, making quite the name for himself. However, in March 2021, the Ukrainian came face to face with Brandon Adams.

Surprisingly, Adams, who had already lost three fights when he fought Bohachuk, knocked out Bohachuk in the eighth round of the fight. Despite recording his first career loss, Bohachuk bounced back very quickly and very well, going on a five-fight knockout streak. He started his 2024 by defeating Brian Mendoza via unanimous decision, the only fight of his career that went the distance. 

Bohachuk then took on Vergil Ortiz Jr. and created problems for the undefeated boxer. The Ukrainian even managed to drop Ortiz in rounds one and eight, but Ortiz came back in the later rounds, and stole the fight via majority decision—it was quite the controversy. Regardless, Bohachuk, who has a KO ratio of an impressive 95.83%, also has a decent amateur record of 21-10-0.

Ishmael Davis (13-1-0, 6 KOs), on the other hand, lacks an amateur career and has far fewer professional bouts under his belt. He started his career back in September 2018 against Patryk Buczek, which he won on points. After largely fighting lackluster opponents till 2023, Davis defeated the then-undefeated Ewan Mackenzie in November last year via a 6th-round KO. 

In September 2024, Davis crossed paths with Josh Kelly and recorded his first career defeat via a majority decision. Interestingly, Bohachuk had fought Kelly during their amateur days in February 2015 and won the fight via split decision. For Davis, who has a KO ratio of 46.15%, Bohachuk will be the most difficult opponent of his career, and one he is expected to lose to.

Bohachuk is not only a better fighter on paper, but has also faced much more difficult challenges in his career thus far—his close fight against Ortiz says as much. Davis not only suffered a loss to Kelly but also lacks the experience required to pose a significant threat to Bohachuk in their upcoming bout. To top it off, he is coming into the fight as a last-minute replacement, so his chances of winning are next to none. 

Furthermore, there’s a huge possibility of the fighting ending with a knockout, given Bohachuk’s record. This knockout can come in any round, as Bohachuk doesn’t seem to have a preference for when he starts stepping on the gas. 

Who is winning in terms of attributes?

Davis might not have much going for him in the experience department, but an upper hand in his physicality can prove advantageous for the Englishman. Starting with Bohachuk, the former interim WBC super welterweight champion is 29 years old and has a reach and height of 73″ (185 cm), 6′ 0″ (183 cm) respectively.

On the flip side, Davis is also 29 years of age, but his reach and height details are unfortunately unavailable. So, it’s difficult to say whether these attributes would put one of them in any sort of advantage. As for their weight, the final weigh-ins are yet to take place, so that will dictate who has the advantage in terms of weight. 

However, Bohachuk has weighed in at 153¾, 152½, and 153½ for his last three fights, and largely makes the weight successfully, so he is expected to come in around 153 pounds for the fight. Meanwhile, Davis’ last fight was in the middleweight division, so he weighed in at 159¼ pounds. Other than that, he weighed 153¾ and 153¾ in his prior two fights, so he should be able to make weight for the fight.

That said, Serhii Bohachuk should be able to easily secure a victory over Ishmael Davis in a couple of days from now. He is more experienced, packs more punch, and is coming off a solid performance. Who will you be betting on?